Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 60

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Father has returned from the Deserted Island
Chapter 60

After sharing the dried meat I had brought as thanks to Bear—who snorted derisively and hurled it away—the two of us made our way back to the human settlement.
Since we had departed expecting to return within a week at most, there was much we needed to replenish.
Rather than return directly to the Capital, which felt unsettling, Jean de Lamber sought out a Capital Suburb City frequented by travelers.
After sending the carriage back to the Mansion in the Capital and purchasing a new one equipped to keep us warm in colder regions, we found ourselves at a Clothing Shop.
“Oh my, welcome!”
The proprietor greeted us with evident delight upon seeing what appeared to be a distinguished father and daughter.
“We’re heading to the Norvalang region and need to purchase clothing urgently. Do you have any thick garments available?”
“Norvalang! Of course. We have many customers traveling there. Is the young lady beside you your daughter? What a charming Young Lady! Please, come this way!”
The proprietor skillfully ushered us inside, and soon returned with an armful of garments alongside an attendant—thick, sturdy fabrics designed to ward off the cold.
We examined the quality and insulation carefully before trying on a few pieces to ensure they weren’t excessively heavy.
“How does it feel, Vivian? Not too heavy?”
“No, it’s fine. But I don’t think there’s anything here that would fit Kiki.”
Vivian gazed down at the basket she was holding, which contained a gray checkered cloak with thick leather and fur lining underneath.
Kiki, sleeping soundly, possessed a frame roughly the size of a human newborn. It was unlikely any ready-made garments would fit.
The proprietor, catching the scent of coin, immediately displayed their acumen.
“Ah, that little creature? I’m not certain what animal it is, but I can have custom clothing tailored! If I use the same fabric and design, would that suit you?”
“How soon could you have it ready? We’re planning to leave shortly and cannot wait long.”
After examining Jean de Lamber and Vivian’s appearance once more, the proprietor became certain these were customers worth retaining, even if it meant paying extra to their suppliers.
“Tomorrow! By tomorrow evening at the latest, you’ll have it. I know a skilled tailor with quick hands. Which inn are you staying at? If you tell me, I’ll have it delivered there!”
“Tomorrow evening works well. We’ve only just arrived and haven’t decided where to stay yet. Would you be able to recommend a respectable inn?”
“Ah! For an inn in this area, I’d recommend the Golden Oak Inn. It’s an old building—or rather, it’s so well-maintained that one might call it elegantly antiquated, wouldn’t you say? Ha ha! In any case, it’s the finest establishment nearby. And for these two cloaks and the one I’ll deliver tomorrow, the tailoring fee—”
“No. I’m not just purchasing cloaks. I’d like to buy all the garments here.”
Jean de Lamber had already sorted all the pieces that met his standards to one side. The quantity was considerable enough that the proprietor gasped in surprise.
“All of them? Then the price would be—”
“That’s of no concern.”
Jean de Lamber produced gold coins without even asking the price—having estimated it, he naturally offered considerably more—and the proprietor’s jaw dropped, his cheekbones rising toward the heavens.
He congratulated himself on his discerning eye for recognizing such a fortunate customer and bowed deeply.
“Yes! Then I shall have everything delivered to the Golden Oak Inn. Please, take care!”
The Golden Oak Inn, which we found after leaving the Clothing Shop, proved worthy of such confident recommendation. Though an old building as mentioned, it was well-maintained and possessed an overall atmosphere of cleanliness.
Before ascending to the second floor where the guest rooms were located, we had to pass through the Dining Room on the first floor, where the most appetizing aromas wafted through the air, making my mouth water.
I was satisfied that we would be able to dine well here. I entered the guest room pleased with the inn’s quality.
“Shall we rest for today? We can procure supplies and a carriage tomorrow—it should be fine. Since we’re receiving the clothing tomorrow evening, we can depart the day after at the earliest anyway.”
“Yes, that sounds good. I should purchase some cushions too. My backside is sore from sitting in the carriage so long. Are you alright?”
“My backside is a bit sore too. I think we should buy several cushions. If we keep sitting and the stuffing gets compressed, it won’t do.”
Vivian nodded and carefully placed the basket she’d been carrying with her on the table beside the bed.
“…Now that I think about it, this is the first time since then. Just the three of us going somewhere together like this.”
“Hmm?”
“Why. When I was little… was it Beluang? We haven’t gone anywhere just the three of us since we came back from there.”
The place where she’d first ridden in a carriage with Father after his return.
Though Vivian had grown accustomed to the crowds of the Capital by now, the shock of seeing Beluang for the first time—having spent her entire life in a small village—remained vivid in her memory.
“That was really fun back then.”
Vivian even remembered what she’d eaten that day.
How sweet the pudding had been! Even now, pudding remained Vivian’s favorite dessert.
After that, Anne had come, and other people had joined their household, so as Vivian said, the three of them riding off in a carriage together to distant places had been both the first and last time at Beluang.
“Once Kiki wakes up, shall we go on an outing, just the three of us?”
“Really?”
Hearing the longing in his voice, Jean de Lamber’s suggestion made Vivian’s face light up.
“Of course. It’s not difficult at all. Let’s definitely go. How about a picnic by the lake on a clear day? Kiki doesn’t like places with too many people.”
“Great! Kiki will definitely love it.”
Once I put on the clothes I ordered and go to the Northern Region, I’ll surely find a way to wake Kiki.
When she wakes up, I’ll ask her to go on a picnic with us.
Vivian murmured to herself like a self-hypnosis as she gently stroked Kiki’s hair.

* * *

There was no time to fully recover at the Golden Oak Inn.
I had to procure dried rations that wouldn’t spoil for long periods, hay for the horses, and purchase sturdy new boots capable of traversing snowy terrain.
As a city frequented by many travelers, there were plenty of people who had journeyed through Norvalang. Gathering recent information from such individuals became another task.
I tried on the clothes that had been delivered from the Clothing Shop, then organized them.
Vivian, who had gone to bed early to prepare for resuming her travels the next day,
awoke within a strangely familiar mist.
“Where is this…?”
Marble flooring, beautiful statues, a barren fountain from which no water flowed.
“Oh, this place.”
As I wandered through the mist, looking around, I soon remembered where this was.
The beautiful Garden where I had met Diti.
“Why has it become like this?”
There was a reason I hadn’t recognized it immediately.
The marble floor was cracked, the beautiful statues were covered in dust and cobwebs, and the fountain had long since dried up, drained of all vitality.
“The roses—”
The rose vines that had once displayed such vivid crimson had withered beyond recovery, now shriveled to a dull brown.
It felt as though I had stepped into the ruins of a decayed past.
Overwhelmed by melancholy and desolation, I suddenly realized something and lifted my head urgently.
“Diti!”
If the Garden had become like this, what of Diti?
Though he was merely a figure from a dream I’d encountered long ago, the mere thought that something might have happened to him filled me with dread.
“Diti! Where are you?”
But no matter how many times I called his name while running through the misty Garden, there came no answer.
“It’s me, Vivian… Oof!”
Not watching where I was going as I searched for Diti, I tripped over a protruding stone and fell.
I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Come to think of it, back then, Diti caught me when I was about to fall—’
But there were no arms to support my body. I felt only the sharp pain of my knees striking the hard marble.
I lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up. My nose stung and my eyes burned.
“Why.”
You’re just a figure from a dream. Shouldn’t you appear again when I search for you?
I missed that boy who had listened so patiently to everything I said.
“Please come out, Diti. I’m so scared….”
And I was afraid.
Jean de Lamber’s return, Kiki’s awakening, and meeting Diti in my dreams—all had occurred in the same year.
After eight years of not appearing in my dreams, showing me this ruined Garden specifically after Kiki fell asleep felt like some kind of omen or warning.
What if the things that had come to me in that same year were all disappearing together?
What if something terrible was about to befall Jean de Lamber as well?
I could only tremble with anxiety.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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